Along with casinos, brick-and-mortar sportsbooks in New Jersey will reopen July 2 after being closed for more than 100 days due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the return of slots and tables games—even at the mandated 25 percent capacity—should benefit the bottom line, the return of a sportsbook onsite aren’t likely to push the numbers all that much.
There are good reasons for that. Online sports betting has continued unabated during the pandemic and accounted for almost all sports betting revenue even before the casinos shuttered in mid-March. Plus, there are still few traditional sports to bet on, outside of NASCAR, the PGA Tour and the Premier League soccer, if you want to count them as traditional major competitions.
But the sportsbook is still an important sign that life as we know it is inching towards the routine in a casino environment.
“The sportsbook is now part of the facility just like the Spa or a restaurant,” said President Joe Lupo, of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. “Obviously, having the NBA, NHL and MLB coming back, I would hope for a much busier summer than usual.”
William Hill U.S., which operates sportsbooks in the Tropicana, Ocean Resorts and Monmouth Park, will re-open with limited hours and staffing until the major U.S. sports resume, said Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill U.S.
The sportsbook at Hard Rock boasts 3,800 square feet and some 60 TVs. But while waiting for MLB and the other major sports to return, don’t expect TV space to include coverage of table tennis or darts. NASCAR sure. Golf, absolutely.
Lupo has 20 years’ experience working in sportsbooks and in places such as Las Vegas, those obscure events don’t make it on the screens. “We always had ESPN on, other sports shows…Fox Sports, CBS Sports, sports talk shows, old highlights of games, etc.”
But Asher said William Hill sportsbooks will aim for as much content as possible.
Truth is, during a weekday, few people congregate in a sportsbook or even a sports bar in a city, Lupo said. “People work, there are no live sports. Therefore, it doesn’t matter what is being broadcast.”
Sportsbooks inside casinos bring in crowds on the weekends or those weeknights when the NFL plays or during the NCAA basketball tournaments. Other times, people place a bet and leave, Lupo said.
“If staying overnight, there is more chance they stay longer in the sportsbook. Or someone might stop by at Noon on their way out to the beach, then come back later in the evening. But the only reason to hang out in the sportsbook is to watch sports. For a sports fan, they can watch multiple games,” he said.
Yet most nights, sportsbooks don’t draw hordes of fans watching games even if the NBA, NHL and MLB are playing.
“Baseball, basketball and hockey are very similar in that the sports fan is much more regional or team oriented,” Lupo said. “Maybe because there are so many baseball games. But football is a different story; it is king by a long shot. The football fan will bet on the Monday Night game, no matter who is playing. The NFL does a better job marketing their players.”
When all is said and done, sportsbooks represent a bit of normalcy in a world that is anything but normal.
“We’ve got to figure out how to get on with life and manage it responsibly while the virus exists for the foreseeable future,” Asher said. “The virus is not going away for a year or even longer by many estimates, so we’ve got to deal with it as best we can, including from a safety perspective, until we have a vaccine or the threat otherwise goes away.”
